My mum could be a bugger up the back, but she was MY mum and what a life she led. For a few minutes I would like to talk about my memories with my mum and share them with you all here today. Early memories: • She spent a lot of her life in America and we would go over there to visit. We made many trips to New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale and the theme parks in Florida. • When she came back from America, Mum and I would still make regular trips to New York. Dad had passed away so it was just the two of us. We would go after thanksgiving for the sales at Macy’s and Bloomingdales to get Christmas presents. I remember Mum sitting on Santa’s knee at Macy’s. • She missed a trick though when unknown to Mum, I went for communion at St. Pat’s Cathedral in New York, Mum was browsing the shop in the Cathedral and missed the event, not too pleased to miss out. • One of my earlier memories of mum was her fondness of music. I remember her dancing to Acker Bilk’s – Stranger on the shore and the late Frankie Vaughan’s Green Door. She even got to like the Beatles in my teenage years. Mum also had a bit of a naughty streak: • She had a cigarette on an aeroplane on one of her trips back from America. It was her first and her last. • She was propositioned by a man who owned a very expensive yacht who wanted to take her down the Florida Keys. She thought about it but decided not to. • She raced against a wagon on the straight stretch between Audenshaw and Denton, demolishing a bollard on the way. Mum 1 wagon 0. • She even chased a streaker up the road in her Camaro. Talking of the Camaro, the 2 little boys looking at her stopped at the lights in Stalybridge, window open, Mum heard one boy say, look at that car, to which the other remarked, ‘look at the old grannie driving it’. • In one of her visits to us whilst we lived in Lincolnshire, when it was time to go home we put her on the National Express bus that was a direct bus to Stalybridge. After a few hours we hadn’t heard from her and were frantically calling her mobile, we even called the police who started stopping every National Express bus in the area. At 11pm we eventually found her, she had been to London and back and had a lovely trip – but the family and the police out looking for her weren’t too happy! My mother... Later memories: • More recently, Mum came to Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire to live with us for 3 years and then for another 2 years in the town. She loved Royal Wootton Bassett, everybody knew her there and every day she went shopping. Mum loved to shop. • Mother would go to the Day Centre twice a week and, THERE, to her absolute excitement she got to sit next to the lieutenant of the Chelsea pensioners. I believe from the staff that her eyes fluttered. Unfortunately, the next year the mayor wanted to sit in that place and she was not too pleased with that. • Two Christmas’ ago Laura and I drove up to Derbyshire, where mother was staying, collected her and then drove over to her favourite shopping centre, Downtown in Lincolnshire, where she did all her Christmas shopping without her purse. She’s a star! General memories: • My mum was always there for me. Whenever I was in hospital poorly, when I opened my eyes she was there. She was there when Patrick was born, when Katie was born and when Mark was born. Mum and Dad tripped down to Hope Hospital nearly every day for weeks when Alex was on the way, also when Laura was born. • She looked after Alex and Laura while I was ill in Papworth hospital and for many summers when I was working. She was always there for me. It was a privilege to be her daughter. She was a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother. What a wonderful life she had. Good night, God bless Mum.